The European Union, Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals : From High Ambitions to Weak Implementation

The European Union has high ambitions in relation to Africa and in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. One example is the new Africa Strategy, where the EU wants to have a strong partnership with the African Union. Other European policies contribute to the lofty objectives of the EU, which is the world’s largest donor of development aid.

The high ambitions are not matched by the implementation. The European policies, shaped by the Commission and the member states, are partly contradictory and hard to fulfill locally in Africa. Furthermore, they are focused on intentions rather than outcomes. The European policies need to be decentered to allow for the African context to play a larger role in the design and execution of policies.

The Sustainable Development Goals call for fundamental transformations, where political and economic development are of great importance to reach the social and environmental goals. This implies greater attention to the drivers and barriers for political and economic transformation in Africa. It also calls for a greater interest in the relationship between donors and recipients, to build trust and to find mutual gain. The EU needs to recognize that it is dependent on its African partners, while it simultaneously wants to influence and revise some of the African policies.